Technology-enhanced and game based learning for children with special needs: a systematic mapping study

Technology-based education of children with special needs has become the focus of many research works in recent years. The wide range of different disabilities that are encompassed by the term “special needs”, together with the educational requirements of the children affected, represent an enormous multidisciplinary challenge for the research community. In this article, we present a systematic literature review of technology-enhanced and game-based learning systems and methods applied on children with special needs. The article analyzes the state-of-the-art of the research in this field by selecting a group of primary studies and answering a set of research questions. Although there are some previous systematic reviews, it is still not clear what the best tools, games or academic subjects (with technology-enhanced, game-based learning) are, out of those that have obtained good results with children with special needs. The 18 articles selected (carefully filtered out of 614 contributions) have been used to reveal the most frequent disabilities, the different technologies used in the prototypes, the number of learning subjects, and the kind of learning games used. The article also summarizes research opportunities identified in the primary studies.

     

Mechanochemical synthesis and characterization of xIn2O3��(1???x)��-Fe2O3 nanostructure system

Indium oxide-doped hematite xIn₂O₃·(1 ? x)??-Fe₂O₃ (x = 0.1?C0.7) nanostructure system was synthesized using mechanochemical activation by ball milling and characterized by XRD, simultaneous DSC?CTGA, and UV/Vis/NIR. The microstructure and thermal behavior of as obtained system were dependent on the starting In₂O₃ molar concentration x and ball milling time. XRD patterns yielded the dependence of lattice parameters and grain size as a function of ball milling time. After 12 h of ball milling, the completion of In³⁺ substitution of Fe³⁺ in hematite lattice occurs for x = 0.1, indicating that the solid solubility of In₂O₃ in hematite lattice is extended. For x = 0.3, 0.5, and 0.7, the substitutions between In³⁺ and Fe³⁺ into hematite and In₂O₃ lattice occur simultaneously. The lattice parameters a and c of hematite and lattice parameter a of indium oxide vary as a function of ball milling time. The changes of these parameters are due to ion substitutions between In³⁺ and Fe³⁺ and the decrease in the grain sizes. Ball milling has a strong effect on the thermal behavior and band gap energy of the as-obtained system. The hematite decomposition is enhanced due to the smaller hematite grain size. The crystallization of hematite and In₂O₃ was suppressed, with drops of enthalpy values due to the stronger solid?Csolid interactions after ball milling, which caused gradual In³⁺?CFe³⁺ substitution in hematite/In₂O₃ lattices. The band gap for hematite shifts to higher energy value, while that of indium oxide shifts to lower energy value after ball milling.     

Effect of reducing agents on the structure of zinc oxideunder microwave irradiation

Zinc oxide was synthesized from zinc sulphate using different reducing agents under microwave irradiation.The influence of sodium borohydride, hydrazine
hydrate and urea on the shape and size of the products were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and  X- ray diffraction (XRD). SEM showed the nano-sized spherical and rectangular shaped structures in case of sodium borohydride and hydrazine hydrate, whereas micro-sized hexagonal structures were formed in case of urea under the same irradiation power. The reducing agents played an important role in forming the various structures.
Thus different shapes and size of structures were produced by only varying the reducing agent, which had wide applications in various fields.     

The chromium trioxide-graphite system

Molten CrO₃ will intercalate very thin flakes of graphite to give C₁₃CrO₃. The amount in thicker flakes is less, being C₁₅₀CrO₃ in 20–25 mesh graphite. The product is stable at 100°C in water and in 6M HCl and does not oxidize a primary alcohol to an aldehyde. The measured increase in thickness during intercalation is in agreement with the X-ray diffraction pattern of the product. Intercalation is confirmed by DTA and by the obvious exfoliation that occurs when the product is heated above the decomposition temperature of CrO₃ to produce O₂ and lower oxides.     

Plasma-induced polymerization

Summary Investigations carried out in plasma-induced polymerization (copolymerization) led to the idea of the existence of living macroradicals. Their presence in both homogeneous and heterogeneous media was experimentally proved and theoretically explained and their use as macromolecular initiators in polymerization processes is exemplified.Dedicated to Prof. Dr. Dragutin Fle at the Occasion of his 60th Anniversary     

Field evidence of biodegradation of N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) in groundwater with incidental and active recycled water recharge

Biodegradation of N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) has been found through laboratory incubation in unsaturated and saturated soil samples under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. However, direct field evidence of in situ biodegradation in groundwater is very limited. This research aimed to evaluate biodegradation of NDMA in a large-scale groundwater system receiving recycled water as incidental and active recharge. NDMA concentrations in 32 monitoring and production wells with different screen intervals were monitored over a period of seven years. Groundwater monitoring was used to characterize changes in the magnitude and extent of NDMA in groundwater in response to seasonal hydrogeologic conditions and, more importantly, to significant concentration variations in effluent from water reclamation plants (associated with treatment-process changes). Extensive monitoring of NDMA concentrations and flow rates at effluent discharge locations and surface-water stations was also conducted to reasonably estimate mass loading through unlined river reaches to underlying groundwater. Monitoring results indicate that significant biodegradation of NDMA occurred in groundwater, accounting for an estimated 90% mass reduction over the seven-year monitoring period. In addition, a discrete effluent-discharge and groundwater-extraction event was extensively monitored in a well-characterized, localized groundwater subsystem for 626 days. Analysis of the associated NDMA fate and transport in the subsystem indicated that an estimated 80% of the recharged mass was biodegraded. The observed field evidence of NDMA biodegradation is supported by groundwater transport modeling accounting for various dilution mechanisms and first-order decay for biodegradation, and by a previous laboratory study on soil samples collected from the study site [Bradley, P.M., Carr, S.A., Baird, R.B., Chapelle, F.H., 2005. Biodegradation of N-Nitrosodimethylamine in soil from a water reclamation facility. Bioremediat. J. 9 (2), 115-120.].     

Price dynamics in European petroleum markets

This paper analyses horizontal and vertical price dynamics in the EU petroleum markets. The results indicate that the cross-country price differentials have significant impact on the local price adjustments. We investigate the cross-national price spill-overs and find that the extent of the welfare transfer due to asymmetric price transmission, when analysed in a cross-country setting, is less pronounced than claimed in previous contributions in this area. We also find empirical evidence, although indirect, for the politically charged concept of “fuel tourism”, using a pan-European cross-product time series dataset.     

Lanthanum cobaltite nanoparticles using the polymeric precursor method

The present study reports the evolution of reactive lanthanum cobaltite nanoparticles obtained by a polymeric precursor route, using citric acid as chelating agent. The crystallization from amorphous precursor, particle growth and the formation of nanoparticle agglomerates at different calcination temperatures was carried out by conventional and high-resolution electron microscopy, electron diffraction and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis and Raman spectroscopy. Microstructure measurements were compared with X-ray diffraction and chemical analysis results. Electron diffraction, combined with TEM, was used to determine the proportion of amorphous phase. The presence of amorphous carbon during the decomposition of the amorphous precursor was analyzed by Raman spectroscopy. The coherent crystalline domain size and the particle size have been monitored by XRD and electron microscopy in order to determine the evolution of both crystal size and the temperature onset for the formation of polycrystalline aggregates.The results demonstrate that at 550 °C we obtain pure single-phase equiaxed nanopowders of LaCoO₃ with crystal size of 20 nm, free of amorphous carbon and without the presence of polycrystalline aggregates.     

Child sexual abuse, early family risk, and childhood parentification: Pathways to current psychosocial adjustment.

In this study, the authors examined the role of parentification (children assuming adult-like roles in the family) as it relates to family risk (parental psychopathology, parental illness, and domestic violence), child sexual abuse (CSA), and psychosocial adjustment in 499 college women. Structural equation modeling was used to test a model of direct, indirect, and mediational pathways through which CSA, family risk, and parentification contributed to later psychosocial maladjustment. Results indicate that CSA and family risk independently and directly predicted higher levels of maladjustment, but only family risk positively predicted parentification in childhood. Parentification was unexpectedly related to less maladjustment. Parentification failed to mediate the relation between early family risk and maladjustment. Findings suggest that family risk factors may contribute to parentification and that parentification is not always related to poorer psychosocial outcomes. Future research should examine the impact of parentification on other aspects of functioning and should assess how individual, familial, and cultural variables (e.g., age, gender, duration, perceived fairness, ethnicity, and family support) moderate the impact of parentification on long-term adjustment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)